The Sukiennice have stood in the centre of the Main Market Square since the 13th century, but they haven't always looked the way we know them today. Before the major transformations — first after the mid-16th-century fire, then during the 19th-century reconstruction — the Cloth Hall was a raw, Gothic market hall: long, narrow and above all practical, designed to serve merchants and customers rather than tourists.
Many visitors are surprised to learn that the original hall took the form of a long covered trading lane with stalls on both sides — not the Renaissance attic and 19th-century arcades they're used to seeing.
Picture this: a 108-metre hall, vaulted ceilings, pointed entrances and rows of stalls under a roof — a practical space of medieval commerce.
Initial works to organise and enclose the stalls in a masonry building took place already in the 13th–14th centuries. The mid-14th-century building was a simple but impressive hall about 108 metres long and roughly 10 metres wide.
Inside there were two rows of stalls with a central passage - the so-called “alley” or trading lane. Stalls were covered with vaults and opened to the interior with pointed or semi-circular portals. From the Market Square side the building was closed by pointed arcades that gave it a distinct rhythm.
The design was mainly functional - thin pillars, vaults, arcades and narrow passages allowed intense trade in cloth, salt, spices, leather goods and imports from the East. Gothic aesthetics were more restrained than the later Renaissance decorations.
On the outside, at the short ends and along the side streets, there were butcheries and additional craft stalls - together they formed a lively, dense fragment of the urban fabric.
In the mid-16th century a large fire destroyed the Gothic hall. The reconstruction from 1556–1559 gave the Sukiennice a new Renaissance appearance: the interior was divided into two storeys, a richly decorated attic was added, and columned loggias were built.
The Renaissance rebuild restored the trading function but added a representative character: the decorative attic with its fanciful cresting and grotesque masks became the building’s trademark. The upper floor was arranged for additional commercial and representative spaces.
This change was not only aesthetic — it was a step toward making the Sukiennice a symbol of the city rather than just a market hall. In this form the building served Kraków’s inhabitants for centuries, although it gradually fell into neglect.
At the end of the 19th century, in 1875–1879, a major restoration and reconstruction was carried out under architect Tomasz Pryliński. The lower hall was transformed into a run of stalls with wooden booths placed along the walls, arcaded porticoes were added and risalits over the entrances were built.
The upper floor was adapted to house the Polish painting gallery, which required changes to interiors and installations. Representational and decorative elements appeared inside, and some details were combined with a romantic vision of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
In practice the 19th-century reconstruction changed the Sukiennice from a raw trading hall into an elegant space adapted for tourist movement, with a café (the famous Noworolski café) and an art gallery upstairs.
You will no longer see the original Gothic austerity: the long single-space hall with its original vaults and stall layout. Fire and successive remodels changed the shape and function of the interior.
Centuries-old wooden details and the rough craft of the stalls were replaced with stone, masonry and decorative solutions. Not all medieval corbels or small practical elements have survived — many are known only from historical records and iconography.
On the other hand, many Renaissance and 19th-century decorations, including the attic with grotesque masks and the characteristic arcades, did survive and are what we now recognise as the Sukiennice.
The iron knife hanging on a chain in the Sukiennice passage is an old sign of Magdeburg law and one of the most recognisable local curiosities - the legend about a cut ear and a fratricide associated with the knife is a story tourists often remember.
The grotesque heads decorating the attic are the work of Mannerist sculptors and have become one of the building’s most characteristic motifs. In the 19th century caricatural elements and coats of arms of Polish towns and guilds were also added to emphasise the historical and national character of the Cloth Hall.
The Sukiennice Festival, celebrated since the early 21st century, commemorates the 19th-century restoration - it’s a great opportunity to see the building with a guide and to hear stories told by museum specialists.
Go inside and remember that the upper floor functions today as a painting gallery - this is part of the National Museum and it's worth buying a ticket or checking opening hours before your visit.
Also peek into the interior cross-passage and pay attention to the places mentioned in the legends - these spots are full of stories, and museum guides often talk about them during tours.
Compare: walk around the Sukiennice from every side and try to imagine the Gothic shape that stood before the fire - the roofline and the southern arcades help with this. Information boards and a model of the building on the Market Square can help reconstruct the historic appearance.
Noworolski Café (inside the Sukiennice) is a classic - its historic-style interior is worth visiting to feel the atmosphere of past salons and artistic meetings.
For a longer meal try highly rated places near the Market Square: Wierzynek (historic, elegant), Szara Gęś in Sukiennice (well regarded), and for a cosy spot try Cafe Camelot on Świętego Tomasza Street.
If you want to stay in the heart of the Old Town, consider well-reviewed hotels nearby: Hotel Stary or Hotel Copernicus - both make evening walks around the Square easy and put the Sukiennice within quick reach.
Buying souvenirs from the first stall you see - around the Sukiennice there is both high-quality craft and mass-produced merchandise. Compare stalls and choose those associated with local craft associations if you want authenticity.
Not going up to the upper floor - many people only photograph the building from the outside and don't realise that the upper floor houses an art gallery with valuable collections. Check the National Museum’s opening hours in advance.
Confusing Renaissance and 19th-century elements with the original medieval appearance - short on-site descriptions or a museum guide will explain which parts date from which period.
Have the Sukiennice always stood in the same place? - Yes, trade has taken place in this part of the Market Square since the 13th century, although architectural forms have changed.
Can you enter the Sukiennice for free? - Entry to the ground floor, where the stalls are, is free. There are tickets for museum exhibitions on the upper floor - check current hours and prices before your visit.
Do local craftsmen still trade in the Sukiennice? - Yes, although the offer is mixed: traditional handicrafts sit alongside tourist souvenirs. To find authentic items, look for stalls marked as local craft or with a long tradition.
The attic with grotesque masks, now associated with Renaissance charm, was created after the fire as both a decorative and protective element - it was meant to conceal the roof and help protect it from fire.
In the 19th century, while the Market was being reorganised, the lower hall was for a time lined with wooden booths and stalls - photographs from that era show a far more market-like image than today’s elegant appearance.
Numerous legends surround particular elements of the building; learning them enriches a visit and helps understand how important this place was for Kraków’s residents through the centuries.
If you want to feel the history: visit the Sukiennice in the morning before crowds fill the Square - it's the best time to calmly study architectural details and take photos.
If you plan to visit the museum upstairs, allow at least an hour - the Gallery of Polish Art and the exhibitions in the market’s underground require time and attention.
If you’re interested in stories and historical context, check the schedule for guided tours organised by the museum institutions - museum-led tours give reliable facts and fascinating anecdotes.
If this article interested you, share it with friends or on social media - it will help others plan a great visit to Kraków.
If you’d like to explore the Sukiennice with someone who knows the place inside out and can tell its story in a friendly, accessible way, consider booking a guided tour with Małgorzata Kasprowicz - contact details and tour information are available on the Zwiedzanie Krakowa website.
Good luck discovering the Sukiennice - every layer of its architecture tells a different story.
